Awkward
by Lonely Little Angel
Summary: His face is a little red when she peers up at him. He's flustered! It makes her relieved that she isn't the only one who is. "What I meant was that...it's kinda cute that you do," he murmurs, lowering his head.


Was a pretty long time ago since I posted anything here, but now I'm giving you this fluffy little NaruHina piece. They're so cute.

Disclaimer: own nothing.

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><p><strong>Awkward <strong>

She's always watching him from afar. She's too shy to walk up and talk to him. Would he know who she is anyway? It's a large school they go to with many students, and she's just one in the crowd. She doesn't stand out for any specific reason because she prefers peace and quiet.

Ino and Sakura had teased her at first like friends do when they found out about her little crush on Naruto Uzumaki. Her face had been red as a beet when she'd confessed in a mumble that it wasn't just a little crush because she'd liked him for years.

Since then they have been very supportive when they realized how deep her devotion is. "Little Hinata has grown up," they say with a proud grin every so often now.

She can't help but blush a little every time they do.

She waits every day after school for her cousin's last class to end, and then the family's driver takes both of them home. That gives her a chance to walk in the school's corridors when there's no one else there. She likes the difference compared to when there's always people everywhere.

This day is no exception. She walks around and pretends she's the queen of the school; the invisible servants and subordinates are silent in revering admiration. It's a silly little game she's playing, but she enjoys it. It's her way of being a little less introverted, even though nobody can see her.

She nods to a nonexistent butler before she rounds a corner, and she almost crashes into a streak of yellow, orange and black. She looks up and her eyes widen as a tiny gasp escapes her lips.

_Naruto_.

"I'm sorry, you okay?" he asks concernedly.

She merely nods dumbly; too busy staring at his tanned face instead of giving him a proper answer. His eyes have the same color as the sky on a clear summer day and his hair is blond like sunshine. He's so handsome, so cute that her pale cheeks begin to warm up. She quickly averts her gaze of palest lavender to her feet.

"Hinata? You sure you're okay?"

She brings her head up again. "You know who I am?" she wonders, her eyes wide in shock.

He laughs softly. "Of course I do. We have classes together. Didn't you know?" He looks quizzically at her.

"No, no! Of course I know!" she splutters, frantically waving her hands. "It's just that you always seem like you pay more attention to your friends and other things than people like me," she finishes in a mumble.

"People like you...?" He looks confused as he lifts a blond eyebrow and tilts his head the slightest to the side.

The heat in her cheeks is warmer now. "Shy people," she explains. "Quiet people. People who don't make any fuss. People who don't get noticed. Like me."

A glint appears in his oh-so-blue eyes and a smile curves his mouth. He bends down towards her. "Maybe that's the kind of people who are the ones who truly get noticed because they don't make any fuss," he suggests. "Have you never thought of that?"

Her mind goes blank at his proximity. "Uh...n-no."

The grin seems to explode onto his face. "You stuttered!" he says gleefully.

She looks down in embarrassment, twisting her hands. It's a bad habit that shows up when she's nervous — around certain people — and she wishes she just could grab hold of it and toss it over her shoulder, never to see it again. Too bad things don't work that way.

"Uh, no, no, that wasn't I meant!" he apologizes. His face is a little red when she peers up at him through her straight-cut bangs. He's flustered! It makes her relieved that she isn't the only one who is. "What I meant was that...it's kinda cute that you do," he murmurs, lowering his head.

"Oh." Her voice is just as low as his, if lower. She doesn't know what to say. What if she would say something embarrassing and make a complete fool out of herself? Then he would never want to speak to her and she would _never _be able to look him in the eye ever again. And that's not what she wants.

"So, uh," Naruto goes on awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face, "what I meant was that it doesn't matter if you're quiet. I mean, if someone likes you then they would notice you anyway." Then he seems to stiffen a little as he realizes what he's saying.

Hinata's face blooms with color again when she does the same. Could he mean something by that…? Something special? Hope makes her heart beat faster, but she doesn't dare to ask.

"Oh, crap!" he whispers under his breath to himself, turning away and hiding his face behind his hands. He looks at her over his shoulder and their gazes lock. "Not that I know anyone who's said he does, but, you know," he blabbers nervously and averts his eyes to look at the floor.

She puts two and two together. She's a smart girl, after all. If he knows something like that, but he doesn't know anyone who actually does…then that only leaves himself, right? So does that mean _he's _the one who likes her?

She feels lightheaded at the mere thought.

He slowly turns around and stares intently at her. His mouth opens to form words, but nothing comes out. His sun-kissed cheeks are slowly but steadily gaining a rosier tinge.

Her white-lavender eyes widen in shock. "Oh!" she squeaks and slaps her hands over her mouth as she goes beet-red. "Did I say that out loud?" she whimpers.

Naruto nods dumbly.

Now she's done exactly what she didn't want to do! She made a fool of herself after all! She just wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

"You did," he confirms, looking as embarrassed as she feels. "I can't believe I said it like that!" he then exclaims, and she startles. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go! I was thinking I was gonna ask you real smoothly if you wanted to go have some ramen with me, although I know it's probably not the most romantic thing to do, but still! It's _ramen_!"

His nonsense somehow makes sense. He's still spluttering explanations and rambling about how he'd had it all planned out in his head when Hinata murmurs, "I'd like that."

He stops abruptly, his arms outstretched in the air from flailing them around. "What'd you say?" he wonders.

She wrings her hands over the other and looks at her pretty blue shoes. "I said I'd like that," she repeats shyly, her voice almost breaking. "I like ramen."

"Really? You do?" He sounds overjoyed.

She dares to look up and sees that his sky-blue eyes are sparkling. She nods slightly.

He suddenly wraps his arms around her in a tight bear hug that makes her breath hitch in her throat, almost lifting her feet off of the floor. "You do! I'm so happy you do!" he laughs and puts her down again.

She doesn't know how to respond to that, so she merely smiles at him.

"So it's a date then?" His grin is just as blinding as the sun.

"Yes, Naruto, it is," she says, and pronouncing his name like that makes her all warm on the inside.

"Sweet!" he cheers. Then he looks around him, observes her for a moment and places the quickest peck on her cheek, so fast she's not even sure he did it at all. "I'll take you out tomorrow after school, is that okay with you?" he wonders.

Hinata nods. It sounds more like it's not a date, but she's okay with that. It's more like her to take things slowly, anyway.

"I'll see you then, Hinata!"

She raises her hand and waves back at him. She looks at her wristwatch and sees that the family's driver has been waiting for her for some time now. She quickly heads in the right direction, but freezes slightly when she hears Naruto loudly announce to Sasuke that he 'knows best because he's Naruto, after all, and although Sasuke's so popular with the girls, he _still _hasn't been on a date yet'.

Sasuke's response is a derisive snort, saying that he doesn't believe Naruto and he's only talking nonsense anyway.

Hinata's response is a small giggle and a feeling of accomplishment that fills her to the brim with joy.

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><p>Well, I think it's sweet. And I hope you do, too. Sorry for any OOCness or any other mistakes.<p>

Please review!


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